Adam Silver talks about Ja Morant punishment timeline

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Silver opens up about timeline for Ja Morant punishment

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 6/1/23

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is making sure all eyes remain on the NBA Finals and plans on holding off on announcing a potential suspension of Ja Morant until after the Larry O'Brien Trophy is raised.

Morant recklessly waived a handgun in a video captured on an associate's Instagram Live feed on May 13. The Grizzlies suspended him from all team activities after the video surfaced and the league announced an investigation three days later.

At the time, Silver said, "Honestly, I was shocked when I saw, this weekend, that video... The video's a bit grainy and all that, but I'm assuming the worst."

A couple of weeks later and the league has enough information.

Per Tim McMahon, Silver explained that while the league "probably could have" declared the extent of Morant's punishment, it decided "it would be unfair" to the players in the NBA Finals.

Adam Silver on Ja Morant: “We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information. We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 1, 2023

Any suspension, whether significant or minor, would attract headlines that should go to the Finals. A decision might be announced at a time that would allow the Grizzlies to address Morant's likely absence during the NBA Draft on June 22.

The aforementioned video was the second video this year that has surfaced showing Morant with a firearm. The first came during the season and resulted in an eight-game suspension.

Two days after the second video was released, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said, "I think Ja Morant is facing a lengthy, a significant suspension to start next season, if indeed that was a firearm in his hand in that video."

ESPN colleague J.J. Reddick has suggested a 16-game suspension, which is probably less significant than what Wojnarowski was imagining.

Whatever the suspension looks like, it won't interfere with what the league hopes is an exciting NBA Finals. More importantly, hopefully, it serves as Morant's wake-up call.

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